CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Feb. 24, 2008) – For the second time in three days, the Saint Francis softball team picked up a big non-conference win over a Mid-American Conference school. Playing in the UT-Chattanooga Challenge, the Red Flash earned a 4-3 victory over Bowling Green behind another strong pitching performance from sophomore Jerrica Smith (Breezewood, Pa. / Everett) on Sunday afternoon.

SFU lost a 3-0 decision against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, and also dropped a tough 2-1 decision against Ball State on Sunday afternoon. The Red Flash also defeated MAC foe Akron, 4-3, on Friday. It was Saint Francis' first win over a MAC school since the 2003 season.

Smith again came up big against Bowling Green. She tossed her second complete game of the season in going 7.0 innings and giving up three runs on eight hits while striking out three and walking four.

The Red Flash offense gave her a four-run cushion to work with by scoring three one run in the fourth inning and then three more in the fifth.

Senior Nicole Bender (Patton, Pa. / Cambria Heights) figured in all of the scoring. She led off the fourth with a single and advanced to second base on a throwing error. Junior Kara Stroup (Valencia, Pa. / Mars) then belted a double into right-center field to bring Bender around.

Sophomore Kelly Cortese (Coatesville, Pa. / Bishop Shanahan) led off the fifth by reaching on an error and moved to second base on a single by sophomore Stephanie Griffin (Dupont, Pa. / Pittston Area). After the two runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt by senior Richele Hall (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Riverside), Bender belted her first home run of the season to centerfield to make it 4-0 Red Flash.

Junior Laura Caldwell (Bellefonte, Pa. / Bellefonte) suffered the hard-luck loss in Sunday's 2-1 setback against Ball State. She threw 6.0 innings and gave up two runs, but just one was earned. She scattered six hits while striking out three and walking three.

A leadoff triple cost Caldwell in the second inning by coming around to score to make it 1-0 Ball State. The Red Flash were able to tie it up on an RBI single by Bender in the fifth inning, but the Cardinals took the lead for good by taking advantage of an error in the bottom half of the inning.